A 4in10 survey of London's early years settings shows that underfunding of the 30 hours 'free' childcare offer threatens the financial viability of many childcare providers when the scheme is introduced in September 2017.

The extent of the problem is revealed in data that shows the number of children entitled to free school meals, a widely used indicator of deprivation, has dropped by almost a third in some London boroughs since 2010.